Dan was teeming with rage. Never had he thought that he would be busted and yet, he did not look anything like a deer caught in the headlights. It almost seemed like he knew what he was supposed to do despite being outed.
With every step he took, I tried to pull Lucas' body and myself a little more away as if that would get us out of the door without being caught.
Lucas tried to pull himself up, ready to fight for me. However, before he could even get himself sitting up, Dan put his boot clad foot on his chest and pressed hard with all his weight. Lucas tried to control his screams but there was an audible cracking sound. The pain was so much that he passed out in seconds whispering "I'm sorry, Brooke."
"No! Stop! Please, please just stop! Please! Don't hurt him!" I wailed as I put in all my strength to try to move his leg away, my hysteria doing little to help me focus.
"I asked you a question, girl? Who the heck are you and what exactly did you come here for?" Dan asked me as he slapped my face hard. I felt that part of my skin tingle and burn and I was certain he had left a mark.
I was so stunned, I felt my body freeze for a moment. That was enough for him to pull me by my hair and yank me to my feet. He pushed me hard so I was away from Lucas' passed out body.
I kept screaming and crying as my fists tried to punch my huge burly attacker. He pinned me to the wall in seconds as one of his hands held me by the neck. My hands were pinned behind me, completely confined and I was on my tippy toes because he had pinned me much higher than my height. Adrenaline rushed through my veins as fear and panic coursed through my body. My eyes kept moving around, looking at Lucas to make sure he was still breathing, looking at Dan to see if he was going to attack me and then frantically around the room for an object to save us.
I whimpered even louder as his grip got stronger. Soon I was coughing and gasping to try and get enough air.
"It's a shame. You're so beautiful. I would hate to ruin that perfect face. Girls like you are so rare to come by," he smirked as his free hand touched my face and moved my jaws so that he could get a better look. "Yet, I simply must teach you a lesson. Did you know that breaking and entering is a crime? And the owner is allowed to use force for self defence? Who can be sure who is who in the darkness? Maybe all I heard was some strange sounds and attacked the intruder. You were, after all, uninvited. I know how to get Lucas to corroborate my story."
I cried, my fate seemed sealed until he started speaking again, much more ominously.
"Or maybe I should just have my way with you. I mean, just look at you! That ought to teach you a lesson too!" He began to giggle to himself as he hand moved from my face to the sleeve of my top that he began to pull down. "Ever since my wife went away, I have needed this. Almost makes me glad that you decided to show up, Miss. Whoever you are!"
My body slumped as I felt like I would be sick. Heavy sobs wracked my body. My eyes followed his fingertips on my bare skin. He had almost managed to pull my top down to get a view. My hands were jammed at my back and I was still on my toes trying to make them touch the ground.
His smile was growing wider and wider, expecting a big treat where he was headed. I wiggled and squealed. Just as he managed to tear a part of my top down and get a view of my completely exposed breasts, there was a loud thud followed by both Dan and I falling to the floor.
I looked up to see Peyton standing there with a baseball bat. Her eyes were as wide as a doe's and she was panting from her actions.
I got to my feet and took the bat from her hands, swinging it again and again on Dan's huge frame to make sure he was completely unconscious.
Peyton looked around and took in the scene, running to Lucas to check his breathing.
"Brooke, his breathing is very shallow. Let's get out of here!" She cried, but I was still not done with the bat.
She ran up to me and pulled me with her to Lucas. Completely focusing my attention on him, I grabbed him by the shoulders as Peyton took his feet and we attempted to carry him out to the car. It took all our strength but we managed to get him into the backseat. I went to sit behind with him, resting his head on my lap as Peyton began driving swiftly to the hospital.
I tried to wake him up again, but he was out cold. I tried to cock my head to hear him breathe but it was so shallow that it scared me. His pulse was so weak as well.
Once we reached the ER, Peyton ran out of the car to call the doctors. I just stayed there with Lucas, completely numb. Soon the doctors were running out and had him on a gurney, wheeling him in to be checked.
I still felt too numb to move and remained in the car. It was like I had turned to stone, mind, body and heart.
"Are you hurt too?" One of the Doctors came up to me and asked. She could see the marks on my face, neck and arms as well as my tattered top giving a view.
She helped me up and took me inside the hospital with her. I didn't even know where Peyton was. That's when my brain kickstarted! I couldn't let Peyton tell the truth! Dan owned everybody. I had to intervene and make sure everything was okay.
I began sprinting to the hospital, much to the surprise of the doctor who had moments ago struggled to get me out of the car. I saw Peyton being handed some forms by the nurse at the desk.
"Please tell me you haven't said anything?" I whispered to her, grabbing the papers from her hand.
She shook her head no but it was evident that she was scared. "P. Sawyer, let me just please make sure Lucas is okay. Just please follow my lead. I will explain it all."
She pulled out the jacket she had on and helped me wear it to protect my modesty.
Before we knew it, a nurse had ushered us to the waiting room and a doctor met with us. "Girls, your friend, Lucas Scott, suffered some very serious injuries. He has three cracked ribs and one of them punctured his lung. The doctors are currently wheeling him to the OR where he is going to need surgery to repair that. He also has a fractured foot and the cuts on his head need stitches. There were no signs of internal bleeding so that is good. Now first things first, I need to call his parents. They need to consent to the surgery. Also, I need the two of you to tell me exactly what happened."
Peyton and I looked at each other.
"The cops might need a statement," She said to me in a whisper, touching my arm trying to tell me she knew what was wrong before leaving.
"Brooke, what are we going to do? Whom do we call?" Peyton asked me. It was obvious that she had surmised Lucas' living situation.
"Nathan's dad, Keith. Lucas works with him. I have his number and he is exactly the opposite of Dan Scott!" I yelled, already calling his number.
"How do you have Nathan's dad's number?" Peyton asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
"He is the one who fixed my car after the accident! I spoke to him then regarding the repairs and insurance." I responded before hearing Mr. Scott's confused hello on the phone.
"Hi Mr. Scott, it's Brooke here. You fixed my car a while back. I'm actually calling due to an emergency involving Lucas. He- uh- he is hurt. We are at the ER with him and he needs surgery. We need you to consent to the surgery and you know fill out some forms. We tried calling his dad, but he isn't answering. Please hurry!" I explained and I could hear the frantic screams he emitted calling out to his wife and son.
Peyton and I sat there on the uncomfortable plastic chairs and just waited. My head was perched in the nape of her neck and she was rubbing my back, pulling her jacket closer around me just to make sure I was fine. She was yet to ask me a single question and in that moment, I loved her so much for that.
Just as I felt a little comfortable, a lady walked up to us. "Hey girls, I am sorry but I need to take your statements. Can you tell me what happened to you and your friend?"
Peyton looked at me as I opened my mouth. "Peyton and I were just hanging out when this group of random guys, most likely tourists because I have never seen them around here, or you know could be from Duke. They came and started teasing us, saying inappropriate things. We tried to get away but they kept following us. One grabbed me and so I screamt. Lucas goes to school with us and he was just passing by. Like any decent guy, he came to save me from them. There was a fight and three of them hurt Lucas which is why he is in such bad shape. One of them came on me and Peyton ran to get help. She hit one of the guys with a rock or something that she found. It wasn't too hard. But then the boys got worried that she could kill them with the hard object so they fled and we drove up here."
"And where were the three of you when this happened?" She asked, looking at me trying to figure out if I was lying to her or hiding information. I could see her eyeing the marks on my face and neck and part of my exposed boob from the slit in the jacket.
"It was near the river. Lucas is the star basketball player for the Tree Hill Ravens and he was practising at the River Court. He heard us screaming and ran to help us. We were just out there hanging out alone, taking a walk," I answered hoping that I didn't take too long to answer making it look like I was making the story as the questions came.
"Okay, can you describe this group of men?" She asked, still squinting her eyes at me.
"I don't know, it was all so fast. I never got a good look at them but they were all white men, tall, and looked like college guys. 3 had dark hair and one was blonde. 1 also had a beard." I concluded.
"Do you have anything to add to that?" She asked, eyeing Peyton this time as if we were the criminals.
She just shook her head no.
"Alright girls. Thank you for your cooperation. I will get Lucas' statement once he is better. Until then, get some rest. I'm sorry this happened to you." She said before her heels clicked away on the marble floor.
"Brooke, do you want to tell me what is really going on here?" Peyton cooed after we seemed to have been left alone.
Just as I was about to open my mouth to explain, the other Scotts barged through the doors looking perplexed. Their foreheads had so many creases it was hard to count or tell where each contour started and ended.
"Brooke!" Nathan yelled, spotting me and sprinting in my direction with Keith and his wife, Deb in tow.
The two adults made a beeline to the nurse's station as Nathan got into a chair beside me.
"What happened, Penelope?" He asked me worriedly.
—- —- —
"Hey, what's your name?" an unruly boy came up to me and asked on the first day of kindergarten.
"Brooke Davis," I answered, bringing my hand up to shake his.
"No, girls have cooties. Besides, Brooke doesn't sound like a girl's name!" Remarked the shaggy haired boy.
"It is a girl's name!" I argued, putting my hands on my hips and stomping my foot.
"Don't get so angry! Okay what's your middle name?" He asked, moving his hands up and down indicating that I calm down.
"It's Penelope, but I don't like it," I answered.
"See now that sounds like a girl's name! I think I'll just call you Penelope or Brookie!" He said and ran away without giving me a chance to retaliate.
—- —- —
I put my head on Nathan's chest and cried. Nathan was someone as important to me as Peyton. He had a good idea about my family having abandoned me but unlike Peyton, he didn't know how much it had affected me, or you know still was affecting me but Peyton didn't know what I used to do every night and who I used to be either, at least until Lucas came and changed everything. Nathan was very protective of me, especially with guys treating me inappropriately, with a good reason.
I could not tell you about the number of guys he had punched at school for me. Since they had heard stories about me and my casual flings, they thought it was okay for them to just come and lay their hands on me whenever and wherever they pleased.
Nathan would not have any of that. He kept the creepy horny men away, at least when he was around to see it in school. He didn't know I had stopped looking at school a long time ago, that is until his brother came into my life like a whirlwind force, blowing everything away leaving me to build anew.
We had lost our virginities to each other. It was the night on my fourteenth birthday. I had waited for my parents to call me, not even expecting them to show up at this point. The clock struck 11:59 and the call never came. Nathan just getting into his jock persona around that time had decided to sneak out, I don't even know why. He landed up at my house just at that time with a cupcake from his mom's diner. I blew the candle while the loneliness ate me up. Before I knew it, I was on his lap kissing him. One thing led to another and before we knew it, the two of us were not virgins anymore. We were both clueless about what we were doing but he had been so sweet and so scared to hurt me. Things had been awkward between us after that, for a while. It was hard for it not to be. Then Vegas, a guy came behind me when I was at my locker with Peyton and tried to unhook my bra from the tank top I had on. Nathan had made sure Vegas would never even set his eyes on me again. He had to face disciplinary action by the Principal. His parents were called to school with a threat of suspension until I had stepped up and defended his actions. It completely eased the tension between us and we went back to being good friends. Looking back, it all feels sweet. He was quite caring about me.
"Brookie! Tell me what happened?" Nathan asked, clenching his fists.
I repeated the same story I had told the authorities and I could feel Nathan's rage rising.
"I'm gonna go look for those guys!" Nathan yelled, almost tearing out of the room.
"Nathan, no!" Peyton yelled this time, trying to stop him from the futile attempt. "Even we can't be sure who those guys are and they can be halfway out of Tree Hill by now. Right now, your brother whom we all can tell you really care about even though you two haven't spoken in years is hurt and he needs you. So be a better brother and stay put! And Brooke, come with me, let's go get everyone some coffee."
Knowing what conversation was waiting for me at the cafeteria, I resigned to my fate. She grabbed my arms and pulled me up. I followed her leaving a stunned Nathan in his seat to wonder what information he was missing.
